Piper PA-28-140 accident near Lanai City, Hawaii, October 12, 1997
On October 12, 1997 at about 1:00 am local time, a Piper PA-28-140, registered N836FC, was destroyed in an accident near Lanai City, Hawaii (Lanai airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Interference on the controls by the passenger as the aircraft neared touchdown, and the pilot's failure to adequately brief and supervise the passenger on the use and relinquishing of the flight controls. A factor in the accident was the intentional control interference of the passenger.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1997 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Lanai City, Hawaii · Lanai · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N836FC · no longer on the register · serial 28-22236
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While practicing touch-and-go landings the pilot gave permission to his passenger to place his hands on the yoke. The purpose was to allow the passenger to feel what the pilot was doing during the flight. The passenger had been briefed that the pilot was going to raise the nose of the aircraft during the landing sequence. At this point, the passenger pushed the yoke forward and a struggle for the aircraft controls took place between the pilot and the passenger. The pilot was able to reestablish control of the aircraft before impacting the runway, but it resulted in a hard landing. When questioned by the pilot regarding his [the passenger's] actions during the landing, the passenger stated that he thought that the pilot needed his assistance in landing. The passenger reacted automatically when he perceived that the pilot was having trouble raising the nose of the aircraft. Witnesses to the accident reported that as the aircraft got close to the runway it dropped about 50 to 60 feet straight down to the ground. Both witnesses reported that weather was not a factor.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 150 in this make and model; 10 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 9,300 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,699 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 9, 1997; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A4A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OGG Kahului HI
- Destination: LNY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 21, 5,001 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.